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Insurers deny a growing number of people based on pre-existing conditions

Insurers deny a growing number of people based on pre-existing conditions

A number of people are closely looking at health insurance companies. According to data published by the Commonwealth fund in 2002, 16 million Americans were covered with individual health insurance plans. That number may grow when people are required to have health insurance.

Recent research from the Committee on Energy and Commerce found that before healthcare reform was signed into law, some of the country's largest health insurance providers had begun denying coverage based on medical history.

In 2007, more than 172,000 people were denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition by one of four major health insurance providers. The number increased nearly 50 percent, to more than 257,000, in 2009, according to the study.

Furthermore, the investigation found that almost 12 percent of applicants were denied coverage because of their medical history in 2007. That number increased to more than 15 percent by 2009.

Having a body mass index of more than 39 was considered a health condition that did not need to be reviewed prior to being declined, according to the investigation. Obesity has been linked to a number of other serious and costly health conditions, such as diabetes.